Lake Days
by Rebel-with-a-clue
Summary: Once a year, the bond that connected Freya to the Lake was weakened just enough that she could come on land. Merlin would spend the day with her. Laughing, talking, enjoying the company of his lost love. From midnight, until midnight. Just one whole day.
1. Chapter 1

**Just a little one shot my friend amertka and I came up with during orchestra. Enjoy, and give her page a look if you guys want some Merlin stories.**

Sealing up the letter, Merlin carefully put it in the box already filled with them. He didn't write one everyday, just when he was feeling sad, or bored, or when something interesting had happened. He was writing them to a certain person who he knew could never come back.

Merlin knew the laws of death better than anyone. It had taken all of his friends, his best friend, his first love, and all of his family. Now he was all alone, but that's how he liked it now.

He stopped venturing out into the world as much. It was just getting to hard. He would see people laughing and enjoying life, and he would want to join them. He would want to become their friend. But then they would die, just like everyone else. And he would be left alone again, with nothing else but his memories.

Merlin got up from his desk and walked through the small house that he lived in. It was a simple thing. It was simple one story, two bedrooms, a nice bathroom, a well-stocked kitchen, a sitting room with a worn comfy sofa and a large TV. Not that he really watched the television. He used to watch the news, but it only reported sad things.

Merlin walked past his living room and over to the sliding glass doors that led to the low porch. He gazed out into the lake that he had buried three of the most important people he had ever known. A deep and well-known sadness swept over him. He felt it every time he looked at the lake. A normal person would move away from the sadness, but he had an important reason to stay. Well a few important reasons, but tomorrow was one of the biggest.

Merlin walked back inside and went to his kitchen. He needed to pack a few meals into a backpack for later, then go take a nap so he could stay awake as long as possible. Working quickly, although it had been many years since he was a servant, he grabbed breads, meats and cheeses to stuff inside the bag. He also threw in a small cake that he knew the person he was seeing loved.

Satisfied with the full bag, he stored it in the fridge so it would remain fresh, and then went to take his nap, setting his alarm for 11:30 PM. He wanted extra time to get down there and prepare everything. He also needed to get the flowers.

When he awoke from the nap, he rolled over to look outside at the lake. His bedroom had a lovely view of it. He could see the bright, full moon glittering off the smooth dark water, barely illuminating the fallen stone obelisk that used to stand so tall and proud.

He rolled out of bed and walked over to his closet. In the back he kept a special outfit from the old days. A worn and faded blue tunic, the warm red scarf, and a pair of brown trousers. He missed wearing clothes like these everyday, they were so comfy. But he needed to fit in with the times, and nobody wore things like this except to certain dress up events.

He slipped on his outfit, and even pulled a pair of old brown boots from the back. He walked to the kitchen when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. Well, not himself. He was an old man. Merlin had made himself look old so people wouldn't grow suspicious. He quickly changed that, and was looking in the mirror again, this time his face was that of when his best friend ruled.

He resumed his walk to the kitchen, when he made sure he had everything. He had the food, he packed some extra water, and then did a mental check.

"Oh!" He said to himself quietly. He had forgotten the letters. He hurried back to his room and found the box where he had put them. He put a lid on the nearly full box, funny it seemed to get fuller every year, and hurried back to the kitchen.

Now he had to rearrange some stuff to make the box fit properly, but he was ready. Merlin glanced at the watch he wore, and saw that it was five minutes until midnight. He shouldered the backpack and walked out the back door, locking it with magic behind him.

It was about a two-minute trek to the special place, where he went every year on that day. Merlin set his backpack on the ground and dried off a place with his magic. He glanced at his watch again. One minute to go.

Merlin took a seat and looked up at the moon, waiting for it the reach the pinnacle of the sky. Then he looked down at the lake. There she was. A tall, beautiful woman was standing in the middle of the lake. Her dark hard flowed didn't move as she walked on top of the lake in the red dress that she had been burned in.

"Freya." The name escaped his lips at the almost solid form of his love rose from the water and made her way to where he was sitting.

"Merlin." She said, with a smile on her face. She took a seat right next to him and placed her head on his shoulder. He couldn't feel her head, but he knew she was there.

"So anything new happening at the lake?" Merlin asked. Centuries of practice, and he still could not talk to her without sounding like a fool. But she loved that about him.

"No." Freya said, a smile on her lips. "A certain someone keep it very clean, and all the life inside of it are happy. I just spend my days reading your letters. I think I have them all memorized by now."

Merlin chuckled at this. "Well I have a new box of letters for you. More this time, so hopefully they will keep you more entertained."

Freya lifted her head off of his shoulder. "Just looking forward to this day every year keeps me entertained. Tell me, how had the world changed now."

So Merlin told her. He told her of cars, mysterious devices that let you talk to people over long distances, these new devices that let you read a book without having to touch a page. He talked with her until the dawn broke, when he pulled some food out of his bag so he could eat.

Freya had frowned at the book thing. "So people just tap a screen and the page turns for them? That's just so sad!"

"How so?" Merlin asked, who actually found this convenient sometimes. Sure, nothing beat a physical book, but when you were going on a trip and wanted to read a great deal, it was fantastically light.

"Because!" Freya pouted "You can't tell if a book is good or not. There's no way to know if its sad without the lack of tear marks, or dreadfully dull by how new it is."

"Well, it's the people of this century." Merlin explained, taking a bite of bread. "They like things electronic. Just how they are."

Freya laughed slightly at that. She gazed out at the lake for a moment before she was reminded of something. "Did you bring me those books? I finished them all many times and I am looking forward to the sequels."

Merlin chuckled at that. "Of course. I bought them last week so they are in mint condition. Just try not to cry at the end of that Greek mythology book. I know I nearly did."

And with that, Merlin clapped his hands. A crash was heard from the direction of Merlin's house, which he grimaced at remembering he forgot to open a window for this trick, and about ten books came flying over to them. They landed neatly in a stack next to the wide-eyed girl.

"I've seen you for centuries and this never gets old." She murmured, and leaned against Merlin again. This time he could feel her. He body gets more solid during the day, but starts to fade again when it becomes night.

"I don't really use magic anymore." Merlin told her. "There's never the need. Well, there were a few times that I protected people, but now this technology that the humans are coming up with does a lot of the things for them. Magic is just the stuff of legends."

Freya sighed. After a moment of silence she spoke "What about our story? Has that become a legend as well?"

"Yes." Merlin said softly, tears forming in his eyes. The story of King Arthur was well known throughout the world as a legend. When he had first heard of his own history being called a legend, he felt insulted. He had friends who died in that legend, many died in his arms. Including the love he currently held in his arms.

"Its so sad how far the mortals have fallen since the Good Old Days." Freya said softly, and Merlin felt a small wetness on his hand. But he didn't care, he was close to crying too.

"Yeah, the Good Old Days." Merlin replied softly, thinking about their little phrase. It was still hard to think of the past, it hurt even more to talk about it. So they used that phrase. It hurt less.

"Tell me what you see as Lady of the Lake." Merlin asked. Freya complied.

She told him about how she could sense all the life in the lake. She told him how happy it made her feel when children played in the lake, or when couples came here for secluded picnics. She even talked about a certain man who she had watched grow old many times, only to get younger suddenly.

At midday Merlin pulled out the cake he had brought. It was her favorite, red velvet. This was the only time she could eat, when her connection to the lake was weakest and she was the most solid she would be for another year.

"Merlin this is fantastic!" Freya exclaimed as she ate another bite. Merlin smiled at her eyes brightened with each bite, savoring the flavor.

"It's your favorite." He said as he took a bite of his piece. He had only taken one. This was the only time she got to eat all year, not that she got hungry, but she had insisted that he take one piece.

After cleaning up the lunch, Merlin stood up and offered Freya a hand. She smiled and took it, allowing Merlin to help her up.

"Would you care to dance?" Merlin asked, a mischievous glint in his bright blue eyes that were so young, but looked so old.

"I would love to." Freya said, and curtsied before leaning in her beloved arms. Music seemed to come from the tree and swirl around the two as they held each other close. After getting tired of spinning, they two sat down.

Freya begged Merlin to tell her a story, one that she could keep with her for another year. So Merlin told her many. He told her of fairy tales, made up stories, even ones he had heard from others. All he did was tell her of the world.

Soon the sun had set, and Merlin had finished the last of the food he had brought with him. It was getting closer and closer to midnight. Closer to when they would have to say good bye.

As the hour drew near, Merlin pulled Freya closer, desperate to feel her fading body. "Please don't go. Not again." He whispered to her, trying to hold back the tears.

"I have to. I don't have a choice." Freya murmured back, trying to hold in her own tears. "Next year, take me somewhere. I want to see this world you have told me so much about. Next year, lets spend the day together again."

"Every year." Merlin said softly. He glanced at his watch. They only had five minutes.

"Here." Merlin said, digging through his backpack to bring out the box of letters. Freya took it and set it on her stack of books. She waved her hands and the things disappeared. Like she soon would.

"Ill read them every day." Freya promised. "Just promise me what you promise every year."

"I promise ill come back." Merlin said. It was getting harder to hold back the tears now. But he had to be strong, for Freya.

"Merlin, I want you to promise me another thing this year." Freya said, looking at the man she had loved for centuries.

"Anything."

"Don't be alone. I watch you delivering the mail every day. And you always look to my lake when you pass it. But you're always alone. I never see you visiting with friends or others coming to your house. Live, for me. Experience the things I don't get to, so you can tell me about them next year." Freya told him gently.

Merlin nodded slowly. He could do it, for her.

The time was drawing nearer. Freya was fading.

"Good bye my love. Until next year." Freya said, reaching up a placing a kiss on Merlin's lips.

"Good bye Freya. Until next year." He murmured when her fading lips were removed from his. He could barely feel her now.

Freya smiled up at him, and slowly but surely, the women he had just spent 24 hours with vanished into thin air. Faded into the black waters again.

Merlin couldn't hold back the tears any longer. He sat down and cried. He had just been awake for an entire day and needed rest, but he didn't care. He cried. He let the tears fall about the days he and his lost love would never spend together. They were restricted to just one day a year. One day was never enough. He wanted to hold her forever. He wanted to wake up early on her birthday to make her a special breakfast. He wanted to come home from work every day and plant a kiss on her check and ask her what she did that day. He wanted to truly grow old with her, not just by magic. He wanted to watch her get grey hair and eventually walk with a cane. He wanted to lie by her side as she slipped into the afterlife, or her to be by his side when he slipped into it for good. He would have happily traded all the years had had lived, all the lives he had experienced, except for the one where he met her, just to properly grow old together and die together. All he wanted was to be with her.

But it wasn't meant to be. He only cried harder. He cried like this every year, but he never could stop. He was alone again. He would fulfill his promises to her. He would live the way she couldn't for her. He would bring back new stories for her, and next year they would go the movies, or get ice cream, or she would show her London.

Next year. That was their promise.

Merlin fell asleep by the lake, exhausted from being awake so long and from crying so hard. He awoke the next morning to a beautiful and peaceful dawn. He got up, rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and looked at the lake. It shimmered in the fresh morning light, the island in the middle still looking green and fresh, the stone obelisk still in ruins. Another day with out her.

But another day closer to seeing her again.

"Until next year, Freya." Merlin spoke softly to the lake. He picked up his backpack and headed back to the house to wait for next year.

**Hey if you guys want me to do other ones just let me know. I hope you enjoyed this one.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This is just a teaser. I just wanted to cause a certain one of my reader's pain. Hehehehehe.**

Freya appeared on the side of the lake. She was excited to see her beloved once more, even if it was just for a day. But there was a problem. She was alone.

Freya looked around the place where she and Merlin had spent talking every year. He wasn't there.

"Maybe he over slept, or got the date wrong." She thought to herself, and then smiled. She could go up to Merlin's house. He would be thrilled to see her, and she wanted to surprise him.

Freya wandered through the woods and up to the little house that overlooked the lake. Climbing up a set of stairs and onto the back porch, she tried ot open the door. It was locked.

That was to be expected. They no longer lived in a time where people could leave their doors unlocked. Freya just smiled slightly to herself. She muttered one of the first and only spells she had learned as a Druid, and slowly stepped into the house.

It was small. There seemed to be a large, plush chair that looked comfortable, and to the right there were a bunch of strange devices. Well, Merlin did mention last year that a lot had changed since their time. Or was it a few years ago. She sometimes couldn't remember.

Quietly and slowing, Freya made her way through the house down to three doors. One opened to a strange room that resembles a chamber pot room. Another was an oddly decorated guest bedroom. It sort of resembled the one that Prince Arthur had back in Camelot, just smaller and no table in it. Also, it was covered in a very thick layer of dust. Freya smiled sadly at this. This room was probably for when Arthur would return. She would have loved her own room in Merlin's house too, but they had tried everything they could to bring her back to the world of the living. Nothing had worked. And even if something had, she would rather spend it with Merlin in his room.

The last room Freya walked into had to be his. It was simple, but nice. There was a large bed in the middle of the room, a blue blanket covering it. An old desk was in a corner, which had a large box and several pieces of paper on it. A quill rested just to the side of the papers. The windows were closed, but they gave her a marvelous view of her lake. There were just two problems with it.

One: Merlin wasn't there. He wasn't in his bed, which was very neatly made. He wasn't in his closet, where there were some strange clothes. He wasn't in his personal chamber pot area. She could not find him anywhere.

Two: Everything was coated with dust. Not as much as Arthur's room had, but still a very noticeable layer. Merlin had not been in here in a long time.

Freya wandered back out and into the weird room with all the strange devices. There seemed to be a counter where Merlin cooked, and box where he stored certain foods, and a cabinet where he stored the rest of his food. This must be his kitchen.

Freya wandered over to the stack of papers on the counter. One caught her eye because it had her beloeved's name on it.

_Dear John McCoy, _

(Freya had to chuckled at Merlin's choice of name for this life.)

_By order of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, all men within the age range of 18-50 are hereby ordered to enlist the army. We are politely asking you to report to the nearest registration office and sign up for the army. We need all the help we can get to restore balance to the world. Please report no later than the 7__th__ of November 1941, to enlist. You will be given a salary, food, a gun and ammunition for your efforts in fighting for your country._

_Sincerely, _

_ Winston Churchill._

Freya set the letter down. Merlin had told her about this last year. Apparently the world was at war, and men died every day fighting to stop it. Freya looked at the letter again. It was dated sometime in the summer, so Merlin could not have known about this and told her.

Freya sighed, and looked out the kitchen window. It seemed every window had a view of her lake. She sat down in the empty house and watched the sun rise. It was beautiful.

"Is this how Merlin felt?" She murmured to herself, speaking her first words of the year. Freya felt so, so alone. There was nobody else here. Her beloved was probably off in some foreign country, fighting his heart out for the country he loved dearly. He was probably also looking for Arthur. A world at war, and one would think that the Once and Future King would reappear and take charge. Or better yet, bring Merlin back to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is mainly due to a friend of mines begging. The idea came from amertka, kinda, again, but she changed her name to Jointhemadness now thought. Special dedication to my clarinet buddy! Update your own damn story or I will take your clarinet. Also, with this story I will skip around in time lines. **

Merlin was excited about this year. He had thought about what he had planned for Freya this year. He realized that they saw each other every year, on the same day. That meant she didn't experience any of the holidays.

Merlin had prepared some big magic for this one. His ability had grown greatly over the years, and now the spells that had given him great amounts of trouble when he was busy saving Arthur, not that he succeeded in that, now were very simple. All he had to do was cast some serious illusion magic around the lake so it looked normal to all passers-by. Next, to make sure no one bothered them, he cast an aversion spell that would seep into the minds of the mortals that walked by and make them not want to go to the lake. He and Freya would be alone for an entire day again, but this time, they would have more fun then in the past centuries.

Merlin didn't pack any bags this time. Instead, he enchanted a table to come down just before noon, with the table perfectly set and a meal perfectly laid out. He triple checked Freya's cake.

Finally he was ready to nap. Every year, it was the same. Wake up, prepare, nap, get up and see his lost beloved. It wasn't the ideal relationship, but it was better than Merlin wasting his days alone. At least he didn't have a cat.

Merlin woke up at exactly 11:30 PM, and went through the routine. Get the new books ready, open the window this year, and pack a simple breakfast. But he added a few new things this year. Instead of just the books flying down to them, he wrapped them in colorful papers. Using magic of course. He had tried doing the whole wrapping thing but just could not do it.

It wasn't just the books he wrapped. He had gone out and bought things he thought she would like. He even bought a special activity for them to do together. The only things that he had made were his letters, and a card. Well, and the paper cuts he had gotten from trying to wrap the presents before resorting to magic.

He was down at the lake right as Freya appeared. In his defense, he had to triple check to make sure everything would be perfect.

"Hello my love." Freya greeted Merlin with a smile. She still amazed him after so many years of just seeing her.

"Merry Christmas Freya." Merlin said, excitement flowing from him as he rushed up to Freya to give her a near bone-crushing hug.

"What?" Freya asked, confused. Merlin released her from the hug, and looked down at her, his eyes brighter than what she's seen in years.

"I thought that because we can't be together on Christmas, we would celebrate our own." Merlin explained hurriedly, nearly bouncing from excitement of the idea. There was just one problem.

"What's Christmas?" Freya asked. Although she was happy to see her beloved, she was annoyed that she didn't know what made him so excited.

Merlin only seemed to get more excited. "It's a Pagan holiday. Its was originally supposed to celebrate the birthday of some savior guy who was born, but in modern days it is a holiday in the middle of December where people gather to exchanges gifts and such. A legend was created a while ago about an old man who came down the chimney and would leave presents for good children, lumps of coal for bad children. Its fantastic!"

Freya listened, totally drawn in by his excitement. It was rubbing off on her.

"Okay, so what do we do first?" She asked, nearly bouncing as much as Merlin. Merlin smile grew.

"First, I need to do a few things." He told her, and took a step away from her. He faced the lake, and seemed to concentrate for a moment before shooting his hands out in front of him. White jets seemed to shoot out from his hands, and a frost covered the lake slowly and carefully. After a minute, Merlin stood up and faced Freya again. "We are going ice skating!"

Freya smiled at this. She remembered from her childhood watching other children spin around delicately on the ice, balanced on thin blades. Not that the freak of the village would ever join them.

Merlin walked onto the ice, testing to make sure it was thick enough, before summoning two pairs of ice skates from his house. He helped Freya put on her white ones as he slipped on his blacks. Carefully, they ventured out on the ice.

It was perfect. Smooth, thick, and wonderfully fun. Freya enjoyed twirling around with Merlin under the fading moonlight. She couldn't help to half-crazed laughs as she attempted to jump, only to fall on her butt. She just felt so free on her lake, spinning without a care in the world. It only made it better that Merlin helped her up.

When the sun decided to blind them by glaring off the ice, the two, covered in bruises from falling so much, decided to go sit down. There, Merlin ate a lighter breakfast than normal, and told her all about Christmas.

"So this guy named Saint Nicholas comes down the chimney of each house, all in one night, and leaves presents for all the good children of the world!" Merlin explained, waving his hands around as he talked. Freya chuckled.

"But there are so many children, how does he fit all the presents on the sleigh?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Most stories go that her just has a massive sack that holds all the toys. A more modern day version goes that he just has a magic sack that fills with toys for each house." Merlin explained, thinking of a movie.

"So a fat man in a suit brings toys to people. I wonder how that started?" Freya asked slyly, casting a sideways glance at her love. Merlin chuckled and didn't respond.

"So what do other people do on Christmas?" Freya asked, ready to partake in this holiday more.

"Well, they read Christmas stories, have snow ball fights, sing carols, eat big meals, and give each other presents. All together with friends and family." Merlin said, gazing down at her.

"Would you read me a story?" Freya asked excitedly. Merlin chuckled.

"Of course. Actually, I have a few presents for you." Merlin told her. "Shut your eyes."

Freya did as ordered. She felt Merlin move beside her as he summoned whatever surprise he had for her this year. After a moment, she started to feel something cold and light.

"Okay, open them." Merlin said. Freya did as she was told, and gasped at the sight around her.

Snow was covering the ground in a thin layer, and it still fell. She twirled around to see a pine tree about as tall as her decorated with little sparkling lights and colorful little decorations on it. On top there was an angel with golden wings and a golden dress. At the bottom of the tree, colorful packages sat, lightly covered with snow.

"Oh, Merlin." She breathed out, her breath escaping into the air in white tendrils, then disappearing quickly. "Its lovely."

"It's what people do on Christmas." Merlin said, his eyes still a brilliant shade of gold as the snow magic he cast was still falling. "Now pick up a package and open it."

Freya picked up a rather thin looking one and tore the bright wrapping paper. It was revealed to be a children's book, called _The Night Before Christmas_. It looked intriguing, so Freya handed it to Merlin.

"Read that to me." She said, sitting down in the snow and snuggling up to Merlin who sat beside her. She wasn't cold, she couldn't really feel cold, but it felt like the thing couples would do on Christmas.

"Okay." Merlin said with a smile. He opened the book. "Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."

And it continued in rhymes that Freya thought were so catchy. Every time they would finish one of the Christmas books, she would open another one and Merlin would read to her.

A little before noon was when Merlin stopped. He stood up and told her to close her eyes again. She could sense his magic as it hummed through the air. The snow had stopped after the third book, but they still had many more to read.

"Open them." Merlin told her, when she opened them, she saw the most beautifully set table and the finest meal she had even seen.

She was speechless. Merlin guided her to the table, used his magic to cut everything up, and placed all sorts of delicious foods on her plate. Freya savored every bite of honey roasted ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, hot and fresh rolls, a cheese casserole, and so many more things. Merlin couldn't stop smiling at her as she ate the flavors she hadn't tasted in years, or never tasted before. Once most of the food had been polished off, Merlin opened up the large box that contained her favorite red velvet cake.

After lunch, Merlin taught her how to build a snowman. They had so much fun trying to physically push the large bottom they made to the center of their little paradise by the lake. The harder part came when they had to hoist the middle up, which Merlin could have done with magic, but neither of them wanted to miss out on a regular, human tradition. The best part was when they had finally placed the head on, and decorated the rather fat snowman. Freya searched of nice looking sticks for arms while Merlin conjured up three coals for buttons and a few for the face.

They stepped back and admired their work. Their snowman had a rather large bottom, a slightly smaller top, but a tiny head, as neither of them were strong enough to lift anything bigger than what they had created.

"Its lovely Merlin." Freya whispered as she clung to her beloved.

"You know what else people do at Christmas time?" Merlin whispered to Freya as they admired their work.

"Hmmm?" Freya hummed back. Snow had started to fall again.

"This!" And Merlin pulled away from Freya, scooped up some of the new snow, and flung it at her.

The white powder exploded in her face. Freya couldn't feel the cold, but the powder melted against her barely solid hair, and she could feel it start to frizzle.

"You're going to pay for that one!" She shouted at him, with a smile of course. A smile that made Merlin want to run and hide. She had revenged on the mind.

For hours the two threw clumps of powder and the occasional more solid snowball at each other. When they tired, Merlin used the last of the sunlight to continue some of the Christmas stories. When the moon finally rose, they put their skates on again and twirled around the ice.

Freya like struggling to make a circle as she and Merlin held hands while they glided across the ice. Merlin had put a fresh layer of ice on so it was smooth and easy to skate on. As midnight approached, the two held each other in tight embraces as Merlin steered them in an ever-rotating circle. He seemed to have a lot more practice at this than he had originally let on.

"Its almost time." Freya whispered. She held back her tears. This was one of her favorite years so far, just behind the year that Merlin had finally come back to her after he had been away for four years.

"I know, but I have a few more Christmas things planned." Merlin whispered, releasing her for a moment. Freya looked up at him. Merlin had a smirk on, but she could see that his eyes were struggling to hold back tears.

"What is it?" She whispered to him. Merlin pointed to the empty skin above them. Well, it had been empty. Slowly forming on top of them was a weird plant.

"Mistletoe." Merlin whispered. "The tradition is that if two people find themselves under it, they have to kiss."

Freya smiled and happily looked down to where Merlin caught her lips into a passionate embrace. After a moment, he pulled back, and smiled down at her, his forehead pressed against hers.

"I have one more present for you." He murmured, letting his white breath into the air. He drew apart, and keep one arm around Freya, he summoned the large stack of books, both Christmas and sequels she had been waiting for, as well as another colored package.

The books landed on the ice in a stack next to them, with the still unwrapped present left on top.

"Unwrap it when you go back." He told her, drawing her into a tight embrace. Freya smiled sadly, and waved her hand to send the stack back to where she stayed. She couldn't really describe where she went when she wasn't on earth, all she knew was that she could sometimes see her beloved, and it was dreadfully boring.

"Of course." Freya wrapped her arms around Merlin. The moment when she would disappear was drawing nearer. She could feel it.

"Will you be alright my love?" Freya asked.

"Yes. I will be fine. Next year, alright?" Merlin told her.

"Okay."

"Okay."

And with that, she vanished, and the immortal warlock let the tears fall as he skated alone back to shore to remove all traces of the fun time that had been spent with her that day.


	4. Chapter 4

**READ THE NEXT SENTENCE, ITS VERY IMPORTANT. This takes place in the first year that Merlin had discovered that he could visit Freya. I'm updating because my friend did not cause me to suffer with her chapter, but I just felt like I wanted her to yell at me tomorrow. It brings a smile to my lips every time she says "How dare you." **

Arthur noticed that Merlin had seemed sad that day. He wasn't engaging in their usual banter, and seemed more reserved than usual, which meant he wasn't sprouting all kinds of gossip he heard while doing Arthur's laundry.

By mid-day when Arthur had all but handed Merlin an insult to throw at him about his weight, Arthur was pretty sick of it.

"Is something the matter Merlin?" Arthur asked, dropping the chicken bone onto his plate. His manservant's mood was seriously affecting his appetite.

"No sir." Merlin said, looking Arthur straight in the eye. Arthur would have believed him, had he not noticed the beginning of tears in Merlin's eyes.

"Merlin, it's a good thing you don't have to keep anything a secret, because you are a terrible liar." Arthur told him, standing up. Merlin tried to look confused, but Arthur knew his friend better than anybody.

"What are you-" Merlin began, but was cut off by a very sharp look Arthur gave him.

"Tell you what Merlin." Arthur said, his gaze softening. Now Merlin was starting to look scared. "You can have the day off. I have council meetings and I won't really need you until tomorrow."

Merlin just looked at him for a moment before speaking. "Do you want me to get Gaius? There is a sickness going about the castle."

"I'm not sick, just feeling generous." Arthur said, a little annoyed. Why did people get so surprised when he was nice?

"You sure you don't want me to fetch Gaius? I'm sure he wouldn't mind." Merlin said, looking at his King with concern.

"You might need to get Gaius for yourself if you don't stop questioning me and get out of here!" Arthur told him, annoyed now.

A smirk flashed across Merlin's face. "Alright, but don't complain to me tomorrow about how your dinner was on time or you couldn't get dressed without me."

Arthur answered that by throwing a cup at Merlin's head as the manservant scuttled out of the rooms.

Merlin headed up to his room and grabbed a bag he had packed the night before just incase he was released early today. He knew that Arthur had council meetings all day today, so he had a 50/50 shot on Arthur either forcing Merlin to suffer with him or letting Merlin go for the day.

"Merlin, where are you going? Gaius asked as his young ward rushed past him and out the door.

Merlin only paused for a moment to give him two sentences. "I lost her today, so I'm going to visit her. Ill be back late!"

And with that, Merlin disappeared. Gaius understood all too well what Merlin was talking about. He remembered last year when Merlin had been distracted and sneaking around more than usual for a few days, then the next month was one of moping and pure sadness.

Merlin didn't bother with a horse. Had he taken one, more people would be curious to where he had gone. He didn't want people to question where he was going that day. Granted a horse would have normally been faster than going on foot, but Merlin had been trying to perfect teleport magic.

Once he was in the woods, he clearly pictured the Lake of Avalon in his mind. Feeling the pure energy of magic, the wind started to pick up and the world felt like it was spinning, until everything was still. Very still.

Merlin opened his eyes, slightly shut against the afternoon sun. He saw the beautiful lake stretch out before him, all the way to the little green island where a large stone obelisk stood tall and proud.

Merlin took a few steps back and sat down against a tree that stood near the edge. He just gazed out at the lake for a few moments before a light caught the corner of his eye.

He looked over into the woods to see a lovely young woman with long, dark hair, quietly gazing out at the lake in a deep red dress. Merlin could hardly breathe. The girl looked just like her.

"Freya!" He shouted, not getting up. He didn't want to rush over the to the girl just to find out that she was just a look alike. He did that once in the month after she died to a girl in the tavern, where he had been drinking with Gwaine. He had received a nice shiner because he had grabbed the girl's arm, but Gwaine had called it a mark of honor.

The girl with dark hair turned her head towards him, and Merlin's heart soared. It was her. It was really his Freya.

This time he got up and ran over to her. As her got closer, the faster her ran. She became clearer and as he neared, he could see tears streaking down her face.

"Merlin." She whispered, when he finally reached her and pulled him into an embrace. They stayed like that for a moment; just reassuring each other that they were here, this were real.

"How is it possible?" Merlin asked quietly to her.

"I don't know. I found myself here last night, and I had no idea what was going on." Freya said into Merlin's shirt.

"Its alright. You're here now." Merlin told her. They broke apart, and now Merlin had a smile on his face.

"I want to take you to Camelot!" He told her, the smile growing larger. Freya smiled back. She would finally get to meet Merlin's friends now that she was back in the realm of the living.

"Okay." Freya said, excitedly. Merlin wrapped his arms around her again, but this time it felt different.

"I'm going to bring us to the for just outside of the walls. Hold on tight." Merlin instructed. Freya did as ordered. The same sensation as before whirled around them, and when it stopped, they were in the same place that Merlin had left earlier.

"Follow me!" Merlin said, excitedly. Freya took the hand he offered, and followed him past the exterior walls and into the busy market place.

They spent all day whirling around to different stalls, and Merlin's eyes lit up every time he saw a smile on Freya's face. She was experiencing so many different things that she never got to before, and when night came, she didn't turn into a great big murderous cat.

Once night fell, Freya started to feel weak. Merlin noticed when she leaned against him more as they were sitting down for a quick bit to eat.

"You alright?" Merlin asked, concern flashing in his eyes.

"Just a bit tired." Freya told him. Merlin nodded.

"Lets get you up to the citadel. You can have my room for the night." Merlin told her. Freya nodded, a weak smile on her face.

They had barely made it to the steps to enter the castle when Freya collapsed. Merlin rushed to her side.

"What's wrong?" He asked urgently, taking her into his arms. She felt very light, almost as if she wasn't there anymore.

"I don't know. I feel very tired, and weak." Freya mumbled to him. Merlin glanced up at the night sky to see the moon nearly at its peak. Was it affecting her somehow?

Merlin held her, and she kept getting lighter. Her skin was becoming almost see through.

"Freya, you're fading." Merlin whisper urgently. Freya looked up at her beloved's face to see it streaking with tears.

"I don't know what's happening, but be strong for me my love." Freya whispered. She raised her hand to put it on his face. He felt it, but it was barely there. Then, it wasn't.

She wasn't in his arms anymore. She was gone, again.

Merlin let out a mournful sob. Merlin didn't let any more out, but the blonde figure standing by his window knew that he was still crying. The figure stayed watch for a few hours, before falling asleep on his window frame, still watching his manservant cry.

Said blonde was woken up the next morning by the voice of his manservant asking him how big of a clot pole he was to be sleeping on a freaking window frame.

Arthur blinked the sleep out of his eyes to turn and look at Merlin. He could see the red marks around his friend's eyes, and he noticed that Merlin was wearing the same shirt as yesterday; the only difference was the noticeable tear marks on it.

Arthur then did something that surprised both of them. He walked over to where his manservant was getting his clothes out of the wardrobe, and gave him a hug.

"Arthur, what are you-"

"Shut up Merlin. It will be all right." Was all Arthur said. Merlin shut up, and leaned ever so slightly against his friend. This was just what he needed.

**Okay I know its bad but it took me all weekend to come up with this sorry excuse for a chapter, and I couldn't think of anything better. Sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**OMG sorry about the Christmas one. The package was the letters he writes to her every year. It was late, I had other things I needed to do, and I just totally spaced. Sorry! **

**This is a sequel to the war one. **

It was the third year she had sat at his table and watched the day go by silently. He was probably still at the front lines, get shot at. Who knew how many times he had already been shot. But her Merlin was just great like that. He couldn't die even if his body was torn to pieces by all those bullets.

Merlin had told her of humanities invention of the gun. Yes, it was a more efficient way to destroy the enemy, but what happened to the days of the sword when the better man would usually win. Humanity was on going down hill fast.

She gazed around the room as the last bits of sun illuminated it. There was a rather heavy layer of dust around the whole house. Freya had tried to clean it last year, but she ended up breaking a vase that had literally slipped through her fingers. After that, she just sat down and enjoyed the silence.

Freya could have, of course, tried to venture out into the world. But she just never wanted to. Not without her beloved by her side.

The sun had set. Another day, all alone. Now she knew what Merlin felt like. Almost. Except he had to do it everyday. She had only done it a few times now, and probably wouldn't have to for much longer. Every war ends sometimes.

The moon rose. It started climbing higher and higher with each passing moment. She wouldn't get to see him this year either.

She felt herself get weaker and weaker as the pale white circle reached the pinnacle of the sky. Knowing that her time was soon, Freya got up and walked into the small entrance hall. It was simple, just a place to remove ones boots and place them. There was a small red banner that had the gold dragon of the Pendragon family on one wall, and a plain mirror on the other. Below the mirror was a small bowl that had a key in it. It was a rather strange looking key, all tiny, not like the large ones that Freya was used to.

Freya turned her back to the front door. The large glass sliding doors provided a beautiful view of her lake. The moon shimmered on the ever-moving surface, never creating a perfect mirror. She liked her lake like that. It showed life.

She grew weaker. It was getting harder to stand. The silence around her slowly counted down the moments until she had to depart from this world once again. Freya closed her eyes and waited.

_Click_! A sound behind her caused her eyes to flare open, and she spun around to see who could dare try to enter her beloved's house. She might be weak at the moment, but she could still do some magic.

The door opened and a figure stepped in, and she heard the jingle of what could only be keys being dropped into the bowl. Only one person had the key to this house.

"Leoht." A rough voice spoke, and the room around Freya illuminated. The light showed everything. All the dust, the broken vase, and most importantly to Freya, it showed Merlin, looking about forty, frozen in the doorway staring at her.

"Freya?" Merlin whispered. His eyes seemed older than they had in years previous. A lot sadder, but wiser too.

"Merlin!" She shouted. Merlin unfroze and hurriedly slipped in the doorway. He started towards her, and Freya held out her arms to give him a hug. Merlin reached out his hands to meet hers, when they weren't there anymore.

He was alone.

There was a shattered remains of a broken vase he had received sometime in the 18th century.

Everything was cover in dust.

But nobody else was there.

Merlin made his way towards the kitchen and sat in the same chair the Freya had occupied on the day that had just ended for three years. He looked around his small home again.

He was alone with the silence.

Again.

**Okay quick thing. I am running out of ideas. I really am. I try to think of them as much as I can with my friend, but I could use some serious suggestions. Any one who gives me an idea I can work with will be credited. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A little Christmas present to all of you. Merry Christmas, and I made it happy on purpose! Well, as happy as a string of sad ones could be.**

Freya never really knew were she was.

Sometimes, she was in a nice cozy room with no windows. There would be a small bed, just big enough for Freya to sleep on, and it would be so comfortable. Not that she really had to sleep. But whenever she did, Freya would dream of her life before she died. She would see all the fields and mountains and lakes of her childhood, but her happiest memories were those with Merlin. Even though most of that included being hidden away in a dark cellar, dying, or killing people, she smiled automatically when ever she thought of him. There would be a small stovetop and the food she needed to prepare a dish would some how appear. She never really ate though, but sometimes it was nice just to taste certain things. She never could get the hang of baking soufflés though. Finally, there was a desk stocked with parchment and quills. Freya never learned how to write, but Merlin said he would teach her.

When she wasn't in the room, she almost felt like she was hovering over the lake she had been burned at. She could see everything going on around it, but she never felt like leaving. It was nice to just stay and watch her lake.

In both places though, Freya could feel the life force of the lake. She could sense all the fish and other creatures that used the lake. Freya didn't know how, or why, but it was nice because she felt like a guardian to those creatures.

One day though, she felt a great disturbance. Freya was just wandering around her little room, thinking of what to make next, when a great wave of sadness and loss hit her senses like a brick.

Her world spun for a moment, then she was hovering above her lake. She looked around, wondering if an animal was in trouble, then she spotted a large dragon. Usually that would capture all her attention, but then she noticed that the dragon was talking, to a young boy with dark hair. The dark haired one was trying to drag a blonde haired boy to the lake's edge.

Wait was that boy…

No, it couldn't be.

But it was him!

Merlin was dragging his best friend, King Arthur Pendragon, toward her lake, all the while shouting at the dragon.

Freya didn't know how, but she floated down to be beside her love. Her feet hovered above the grass as she watched the dragon take off, and tears streamed down Merlin's face.

She watched Merlin find the boat that always seemed to be there, and place the blonde king in it. She continued to watch as Merlin placed his hand over Arthur's face, tears were still streaming down her beloved's face, and then Merlin pushed Arthur out to her lake.

She watched him raise his hand and try to say something, but fail. He attempted again, and the boat carrying Arthur's body went up into flames.

Merlin glanced down at the sword that he was holding. It had been Arthur's, and the same one Freya had told Merlin about when Camelot had been attacked by Morgana. She watched him shift it in his hand, then swing his arm back and fling it towards the center of the lake.

Freya acted on instinct, and reached her hand out towards the sword. She didn't know what happened, but her arm disappeared from her ghostly body, and appeared in the center of the lake, completely solid. It caught the sword, than sank beneath the lakes surface, and Freya's arm returned to her.

Freya didn't ponder what had just happened. She floated over to Merlin and placed her head on his shoulders. She knew he couldn't feel her, but Freya wanted to make sure he wasn't alone.

He was never alone.

He never would be.

Even if he could only see her for one day of the year, he would never be alone.

She would make sure of that.

**Okay I know its short, and kinda bad, but I typed it in one night and I wanted to update all my other ones too as a Christmas present to my readers. Happy holidays!**


End file.
